Simon Reevell, mitigating, said Liggett had the items because he collected them.

Judge Tom Bayliss, QC, said Mr Reevell: “So he was adding torches disguised as stun guns to his collection. Why would anyone want a stun gun disguised as a torch?”

Mr Reevell replied: “There is nothing about him or his lifestyle that would suggest he would use (the weapons) in any improper way. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing to collect.”

Judge Bayliss said: “What? That might not be in your world Mr Reevell, but in my world it is.”

Mr Revell said: “I accept that his collection is an unusual collection but at fairs up and down the country people can buy anything from a tea service to a decommissioned World War Two weapon.”

The barrister said father-of-one Liggett owned a family business which would be lost if he went to immediately to prison.

Jailing Liggett, the judge said: “The motive for bringing these items in is somewhat abstract. The pre-sentence report suggests that you are a collector of knives and torches and that you bought these with the collection in mind.

“I am very sceptical of that, but on the other hand I can’t be sure that you had these items for a criminal purpose and I do not sentence you on that basis.

“Whatever your motive for bringing these items in to the UK, one thing, I’m afraid, is clear. Those who bring weapons of this nature into the UK must be deterred and must be deterred by an immediate and substantial prison sentence.”

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